BaccalaureatePublic

Bismarck State College

Bismarck, North Dakota·Public, 4-year or above·Plains·bismarckstate.edu
6-yr Graduation
47%
+23.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
4,206
peer median 4,009
Avg net price
$10,725
+$162 vs Baccalaureate
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Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
47%+23.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Full-time retention
77%

Pell equity

5.0pp gap
Pell recipients
40%
Non-Pell
35%

Pell recipients graduate at a higher rate than non-Pell students here — unusual and worth investigating.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 74 Title IV programs, 10 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 64 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
74
Passing
10
13.5% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

74programs
  • Passing10 · 13.5%
  • No Data64 · 86.5%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
1
Safe
8
No data
64

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

10
Design and Applied Arts
Associate Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+4.7%
$37,776 vs $36,082
Business/Commerce General
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+22.6%
$44,242 vs $36,082
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+43.5%
$51,767 vs $36,082
Agricultural Business and Management
Associate Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
+61.8%
$58,392 vs $36,082
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+84.8%
$66,683 vs $36,082
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers
Associate Degree · Construction Trades
+182.2%
$101,828 vs $36,082
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
+219.6%
$115,316 vs $36,082
Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
+229.4%
$118,853 vs $36,082

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Design and Applied Arts
Associate Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+4.7%
+$1,694

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

14
Design and Applied Arts
Associate Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
32%
$12,000 debt · $37,776 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
31%
$20,959 debt · $66,683 earn
Agricultural Business and Management
Associate Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
21%
$12,000 debt · $58,392 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
21%
$10,600 debt · $51,767 earn
Business/Commerce General
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
20%
$8,750 debt · $44,242 earn
Practical Nursing Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants
Undergraduate Certificate · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
16%
$10,500 debt · $65,425 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
15%
$17,875 debt · $122,948 earn
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
11%
$12,524 debt · $115,316 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1966Next review Aug 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 5

  1. Mar 2025Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  2. Sep 2021Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  3. Mar 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  4. Mar 2020Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  5. Aug 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$6,499
$30–48k$7,726
$48–75k$9,658
$75–110k$12,736
$110k+$13,615

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$10,725
+$162vs Baccalaureate median $10,564
Federal loans
24.5%
In-state tuition
$5,195
Out-of-state
$7,279

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 942 students received $4.7M in Pell grants, alongside $5.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
942
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.7M
$4,681,256 total
Direct Loans
$5.6M
1,442 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.7M
580 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.7M
849 loan awards
Parent PLUS$131K
13 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 845 borrowers who entered repayment, 22 (2.6%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.6%
+0.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
845
Defaulted
22
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
6.4%
2017
7.9%
2018
5.9%
2019
2.6%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Bismarck State College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs54
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

742 total completions
01Liberal Arts
31642.6%
02Engineering Tech
14419.4%
03Health Professions
719.6%
04Business
699.3%
05Computer Sciences
608.1%
06Agriculture
415.5%
07Visual/Performing Arts
152.0%
08Mechanic
111.5%
09Construction Trades
91.2%
10Precision Production
60.8%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
4,206
12-mo unduplicated
5,401
Undergraduate
5,401
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
51%2,733
Women
49%2,668

Race / ethnicity composition

White
81.4%
Hispanic
5.6%
Two or more
5.2%
Black
3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.8%
Non-resident
1.1%
Unknown
1.0%
Asian
0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
170
104 M · 66 W
Women athletes
38.8%
Athletic aid
$398K
Total student aid
Budget
$1.4M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$187K
$211K
Recruiting expense
$4K
$1K
Head-coach salaries
$25K
$34K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 5

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
25 M · 20 W
$388K
Baseball
29 M ·
$100K
Basketball
12 M · 12 W
$403K
Softball
· 17 W
$133K
Volleyball
· 14 W
$122K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 3,771 students

3-year trend

0.272 yrs ago1.411 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
6
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
3
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
2

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    1
    Stalking
    1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons01
    Drugs23
    Liquor0128

    Residence-hall fires

    • Swensen Hall1 fire
      OtherDamage $0-$99

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    Student-to-faculty
    13.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    88

    Bismarck State College vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Bismarck State College selected for federal comparison reporting.

    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectBismarck State College
    47%4,206$10,725Baccalaureate
    Spokane Falls Community College
    4,319$7,402Baccalaureate
    Western Nevada College
    4,284$12,424Baccalaureate
    Kent State University at Stark
    1%3,569$11,310Baccalaureate
    Yakima Valley College
    3,809$10,402Baccalaureate
    Brazosport College
    3,812$3,022Baccalaureate
    Peer group median24%4,009$10,564

    Frequently asked questions about Bismarck State College

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Bismarck State College.

    What is the graduation rate at Bismarck State College?

    Bismarck State College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 47% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Bismarck State College?

    Bismarck State College reports a total enrollment of 4,206 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Bismarck State College?

    The average net price at Bismarck State College is $10,725 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Bismarck State College located?

    Bismarck State College is located in Bismarck, North Dakota 58506-5587.

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